1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvement of a coin discharge device for discharging coins according to the amount of change from a cassette type coin tube to be mounted so as to freely mount and demount.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally in a device such as a vending machine, a coin processing device for ascertaining the truth of input coins and discharging coins according to the amount of change is mounted.
This coin processing device broadly comprises:
(1) a coin sorting device for ascertaining the truth and falsity of input coins, returning false coins, discriminating the kind of true coins, and separating and sorting them and PA1 (2) a coin discharge device for accommodating true coins separated and sorted by the coin sorting device for each coin kind and discharging coins according to the amount of change.
Among them, the coin discharge device comprises a cassette type coin tube for loading and accommodating specific coins which is mounted so as to freely mount and demount and a coin discharge unit for discharging coins from the lowest surface of the coin tube.
FIG. 9 is a side view of essential section breakage concept showing a conventional coin discharge device 1. The coin discharge device 1, unlike a coin discharge device for so-called discharging a plurality of coin kinds for sorting and accommodating a plurality of kinds of coins and selecting and discharging the coin kind according to the amount of change among them, is a coin discharge device for accommodating and discharging only coins of particularly high use frequency and this type of coin discharge device 1 is generally arranged contiguously to the aforementioned coin discharge device for discharging a plurality of coin kinds in the coin processing device.
The coin discharge device 1 comprises a device body 3 consisting of a frame in which a cassette accommodation concave part 2 for accommodating one cassette type coin tube for accommodating only specific coins of high use frequency which will be described later is formed so as to freely mount and demount and a coin discharge means 4 arranged at the lower part of the device body 3.
For a concrete structure of the coin discharge means 4, it is recommended to refer to Japanese Utility Model Patent 60-44160 proposed by this applicant previously.
In the coin discharge device 1, an empty sensor 5 for detecting the existence of coins accommodated in the cassette type coin tube which will be described later is arranged under a back 2a of the cassette accommodation concave part 2. The empty sensor 5 comprises a coil wound in a circle to which a predetermined high frequency signal is applied and detects the existence of coins as a change in the impedance of the coil. The empty sensor 5 is covered with synthetic resin such as rubber so that the coil will not be damaged so much by an external shock. The empty sensor 5 is mounted via a spring 6 in a sensor accommodation concave part 2b formed on the back 2a of the cassette accommodation concave part 2 so that a tip 5a thereof freely comes in and out from the cassette accommodation concave part 2.
The cassette type coin tube is mounted in the cassette accommodation concave part 2 of the coin discharge device 1, as shown in FIG. 10, by fitting and inserting a lower end 10a of one cassette tube 10 under the cassette accommodation concave part 2, rotating a tip 10b in the direction of the arrow F, that is, counterclockwise on the drawing using it as a fulcrum, and joining the tip 10b of the coin tube 10 to a joining pawl 11a of a latch means 11 formed on the top of the device body 3 as shown in FIG. 11.
In this case, the tip 5a of the empty sensor 5 is closely adhered to the lower part of a back 10c of the coin tube 10 by the force of the spring 6.
Numeral 13 shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 indicates a control board for the empty sensor 5 mounted on the back of the device body 3.
Meanwhile, in the aforementioned conventional coin discharge device 1, the empty sensor 5 detects the existence of remaining coins accommodated in the coin tube 10, so that it is often arranged at the corresponding part of the lower part of the coin tube 10, and in this case, when the lower end 10a of the coin tube 10 is to be mounted in the cassette accommodation concave part 2 as shown in FIG. 10, it is apt to collide with the back 10c of the coin tube 10, and when it is repeated, the empty sensor 5 itself is damaged and hence cannot detect the existence of remaining coins, and there is a risk that the stable coin discharge function of the coin discharge device 1 cannot be maintained.